Miami Dolphins vs. Denver Broncos: Complete Week 12 Preview for Miami
This Sunday's matchup between the Miami Dolphins (6-4) and the Denver Broncos (7-3) is the game of the week in the AFC.
It also serves as one of the most important games of the week, as it will have an impact on the playoffs, seeding in the postseason and home-field advantage.
Both Denver and Miami have the same singular goal of catching the 8-2 New England Patriots—a goal that becomes easier with a victory on Sunday (this is especially true for the Dolphins, who have one game left against New England and currently hold the head-to-head tiebreaker).
Before either team can catch the Patriots, they must first face each other in a matchup of teams that couldn't be any more different yet seem similar in many aspects.
Miami wins with suffocating defense (especially up front), and an offense that looks to wear you down as the game goes on. Denver wins with a methodical yet quick-paced offense that attacks every weakness on your defense in the hopes of setting up a big play—led by a future Hall of Fame quarterback and the best collection of skill players in the AFC.
Both teams have offensive line issues due to injuries and can be dominant up front defensively.
For the Dolphins, this game is a true measuring stick of where they are, as they face a team that is already in a place where they eventually want to be. A win on the road in Denver would not only solidify Miami's playoff chances further but propel them into the conversation of being one of the best teams in the AFC.
Here's a preview of this week's exciting game.
Miami Dolphins' Week 11 Recap
1 of 5It feels like Miami's dominant 22-9 victory over the Buffalo Bills was six months ago, so here's a quick recap of the contest.
Miami came out strong on its first drive of the game, as Ryan Tannehill completed all seven of his passes (including a 32-yard catch-and-run to Damien Williams on 3rd-and-24) to get the team into the red zone.
The drive would stop there thanks to a holding penalty on Shelley Smith, and with the Dolphins failing to score, they had to settle for a field goal.
Buffalo took the next drive 68 yards, but its red-zone woes meant settling for a field goal as well to tie the game. This drive would be followed by what looked like another great and efficient Dolphins drive, but Tannehill's fumble at the Bills 14-yard line gave the Bills the ball back, and they would drive it to another field goal.
After the last drive of the first half petered out, Miami went into halftime down 6-3, a deficit that would become 9-3 at the start of the second half thanks to another Bills drive that ended with a Dan Carpenter field goal.
Then the fun really began.
On the second Dolphins drive of the third quarter, Tannehill went back to the precision short-passing game that carved up Buffalo's defense in the first half. He led the Dolphins 80 yards down the field, finishing with a seven-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Gibson.
10-9 Miami. The Dolphins would take the lead and hold onto it for the rest of the game.
The next Buffalo drive would end with a safety as Kyle Orton was for intentional grounding while he was in the end zone. The next play looked like it would shift the momentum, as Jarvis Landry fumbled the free kick to give Buffalo back the ball and new life.
This new life would be squandered, as the Bills' failure to move the ball led to Carpenter missing the 47-yard field goal. Miami would score a touchdown on the next drive thanks to a pass interference call on Stephon Gilmore that moved the Dolphins into the red zone. Just a few plays later, Tannehill connected with Landry, who atoned for the earlier fumble by scoring the touchdown.
The Miami offense would add another field goal and come away victorious, while the defense (which allowed 52 rushing yards in the first half) held the Bills to only two rushing yards in the second half.
It was a nice statement win on national television for Miami, as the team let the nation know that it needs to be taken seriously. It also exorcised some demons, as it was Miami's first victory over the Bills since 2012.
That was last week; another statement game is set to come this Sunday.
News and Notes
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Ryan Tannehill on Relationship with OC Bill Lazor: "It's Good"
Last week, NFL.com's Jeff Darlington reported on some possible controversy within Miami's locker room, claiming that "[Bill] Lazor's relationship with the players is currently rocky."
While a win over the Bills should have some answers to that, you knew the media would keep poking and prodding, and with that came an answer from Ryan Tannehill about his relationship with Lazor, per Hal Habib of The Palm Beach Post:
"It’s good. I think he does a good job of creating a game plan for us, putting us in positions to make plays during the game with his play-calling. I think our relationship has definitely grown as the season has gone on. I’ve gotten to know him more and his personality more and we’ve gotten more on the same page on not only football stuff, but just joking around with each other as well.
"
Habib also wrote that Tannehill claimed his feelings weren't hurt when Lazor criticized his performances, which in a lot of games and situations this season were warranted criticisms.
This answer from Tannehill didn't come off as a stock answer but rather as a genuine one. The coach-player dynamic is one that can be tough for an outsider to decipher. It doesn't make much sense to try, even if players are texting about it.
I never once thought there were problems here other than the standard growing pains and usual coach-player disputes. Those happen in every locker room, especially after a tough loss.
Tannehill showed us once again with his statements that we should not take said complaints too seriously. Yes, some coach-player relationships can become toxic, but that doesn't appear to be the case in Miami this year.
Charles Clay Misses Practice with Knee, Hamstring Issues
Miami will have to rely on Charles Clay to help kick-start the offense on Sunday.
That could be an issue though, as Chris Perkins of The Sun Sentinel reports that Clay missed practice on Thursday with a knee issue that has been bothering him all season, as well as a hamstring issue that has recently cropped up.
If Clay is unavailable, Dion Sims (primarily a blocker) and rookie Harold "Gator" Hoskins will step in for him. Ideally, the team would prefer Clay to play, as he's third on the team in receptions (39), receiving yards (346) and touchdowns (two).
Cortland Finnegan Wants Jamar Taylor to Surpass Him in the Starting Lineup
Miami will likely be without cornerback Cortland Finnegan on Sunday, which gives Jamar Taylor another chance to shine and possibly take Finnegan's spot in Miami's starting lineup going forward.
Taylor's biggest supporter appears to be Finnegan.
Per Andrew Abramson of The Palm Beach Post, Finnegan wants Taylor to earn his spot in the starting lineup, even though it would constitute a demotion for the veteran.
Finnegan's quotes couldn't have been more spot-on about this subject either, as he told Abramson: "I told him—and I’m not afraid to tell him—I said, 'Make them forget me and make your mark now.' I think that he understands that and has the confidence that if he plays well enough, he can go ahead and take that job."
You can't help but admire the leadership shown by Finnegan, who has been battling an ankle injury suffered in Week 10 against Detroit. It's not often you will see a player go out of his way to encourage another competitor.
Finnegan has worked a lot over the season as a mentor to the younger players in the secondary—not just Taylor but also Will Davis and rookie Walt Aikens. It was partially due to this type of leadership that the Dolphins brought him in during the offseason, and it's paying off so far.
Finnegan has one nonguaranteed year left on his deal; however, if Taylor were to supplant him permanently in the starting lineup, Finnegan could find himself gone next season.
That hasn't made his encouragement of Taylor waver one bit though, as Finnegan added: “I enjoy watching him [Taylor]. It’s like a proud faja (father) watching his newborn cub. He’s worked hard for it.”
Injury Report
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| Player | Position | Injury | Status |
| Charles Clay | Tight End | Knee/Hamstring | Doubtful |
| Cortland Finnegan | Cornerback | Ankle | Doubtful |
| Jonathan Freeny | Linebacker | Hamstring | Out |
| Lamar Miller | Running Back | Shoulder | Questionable |
| Koa Misi | Linebacker | Ankle | Probable |
| Jordan Tripp | Linebacker | Chest | Probable |
| Daryn Colledge | Guard | Back | Questionable |
| Jarvis Landry | Wide Receiver | Shoulder | Probable |
| Mike Pouncey | Guard/Center | Hip | Probable |
| Kelvin Sheppard | Linebacker | Hip/Groin | Probable |
| Ryan Tannehill | Quarterback | Shoulder | Probable |
| Mike Wallace | Wide Receiver | Calf | Probable |
| Jimmy Wilson | Defensive Back | Hamstring | Probable |
Charles Clay is the most concerning injury here, as mentioned in the previous slide. Jonathan Freeny has already been ruled out, and Cortland Finnegan likely will not play on Sunday.
Injury status provided by MiamiDolphins.com as of 11/22/2014 and will be updated as needed.
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X-Factor and Matchups to Watch
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Brent Grimes vs. Demaryius Thomas
The first key matchup we'll look at is the main event in the secondary's battle with Denver's wide receivers.
Brent Grimes' tour of some of the best receivers in the league continues with Demaryius Thomas, who is the Broncos' top receiver with 72 catches for 1,105 yards and six touchdowns, including an 86-yard reception this season.
Grimes will shadow Thomas throughout the game, and it will be in coverage where the defensive back will have to shine, because if Thomas is open, I don't trust Grimes' tackling ability.
Can one of the top cornerbacks in the NFL get up to the task? He was up to the task of covering Sammy Watkins last week, holding him to only 32 yards. Two weeks ago, despite a big game from Calvin Johnson, Grimes showed us how good he really was, as Johnson didn't do much except for one big play.
Dallas Thomas vs. Von Miller
The team that protects the quarterback the best will leave Denver with a victory, which is why I'm highlighting the next two matchups.
Dallas Thomas will be making his second start at right tackle following a rather disastrous performance against Buffalo, where he allowed Mario Williams to collect 3.5 sacks.
It won't get easier with Von Miller as his opponent this week. Miller has 10 sacks this season and isn't showing any signs of slowing down. Thomas will have to control the freight train coming his way, or else both he and Ryan Tannehill will be run over in quick and deadly fashion.
Cameron Wake vs. Chris Clark
On the other side you have Cameron Wake taking on Chris Clark, who, like Thomas, didn't have such a good outing in Week 11.
Wake spurs a pass rush that will also include Miami's interior linemen (mainly Earl Mitchell and Jared Odrick) and Olivier Vernon. In order for Miami's defensive line to flourish, Wake must have his way with Clark, opening up the floodgates for the rest of the players to barge on through.
X-Factor: Jamar Taylor
We don't know who Jamar Taylor's assignment will be just yet, as wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders still hasn't passed the concussion protocol but is participating in conditioning drills.
The opponent shouldn't matter; Taylor will have to continue the play we saw against Buffalo.
It's Taylor's tackling that is needed, as Manning will likely use Sanders (or whichever receiver is in that second slot) on short routes. Taylor's job will be to neutralize those routes.
If he can stop the completions, even better.
Prediction
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Per Odds Shark, the Dolphins are 7.5-point underdogs to the Broncos in Denver.
This game feels like it will be a lot closer. In fact, I can see how the script might play out.
Miami will carry a slim lead into the fourth quarter, with Peyton Manning and the Broncos getting the ball with less than three minutes.
Manning will do his Manning magic (which is only applicable to the regular season) and move the Broncos down the field on an 80-yard drive that takes up two-and-a-half minutes.
The throws made by Manning will be Peyton-esque, "no way you can defend them" throws, and timeouts will be called in order to give Miami's offense some time to come back onto the field to respond.
In the end, Manning wins the game for Denver, with the Dolphins only getting about 45 seconds to work after Manning leads the comeback.
Then we'll have to hear another week about "bad timeouts" and game mismanagement, when the real reason for Miami's loss will be simple: Peyton Manning.
Prediction: Broncos 31, Dolphins 28.
Statistics provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.
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